We Played With Fire

“Atmospheric, unsettling and laced with political and feminist observation” * Guardian *“This is a chilling story for older readers, subtle and creeping with echoes of Shirley Jackson. Maggie is a wonderful character, impulsive and flawed but hugely relatable, and her slow realisation that she might be in over her head whilst nobody believes her is heartbreakingly written” * BookTrust *“Rich in historic atmosphere and detail, and smouldering with female desire to be heard in a patriarchal society, Catherine Barter’s We Played with Fire is a hauntingly riveting read” – Joanne Owen * LoveReading4Kids *“A truly exciting work of historical fiction, We Played With Fire is also a genuinely chilling Gothic read” * Books for Keeps *“Deliciously arresting and hauntingly atmospheric” * Bluebird Reviews *

Catherine Barter grew up in Warwickshire, and then lived in Norwich for ten years, where she worked in a library, a bookshop, and for an organisation campaigning for the rights of garment workers. After gaining a PhD in American literature, she ditched academia for the lucrative world of independent bookselling. Currently she lives in East London and co-manages Housmans, a radical independent bookshop in King’s Cross.